God blesses each of us with incredible gifts and talents. Some of us are blessed with amazing abilities to sing, play an instrument, to lead or even teach. I believe gifts are given directly from God whereas talents are learned. Although they are distinctly different, we must still guard and protect them.
One of my favorite Bible stories is the one told about Samson and Delilah.
This story can be found in Judges 13-16. As a child, I was told the story about the big, strong warrior named Samson and the power his hair held. I have heard it told numerous times but it wasn’t until I was an adult that I felt like I knew the true meaning. One night while listening to the story being told through a Bible app, I heard God tell me I couldn’t trust the gifts he gave me to everyone. Not everyone will value my gifts.
Samson possessed tremendous power and it was all in his uncut hair.
The Philistines wanted to know the source of Samson’s strength so they sent in Delilah to do their dirty work. Samson, who as a Nazirite, loved Delilah. But she took advantage of him. After repeatedly asking, he shared his secret with her: his strength was in his hair. That betrayal led to Samson being turned over to his enemies.
I was going through a season when I had been working and sharing my gifts and talents for free.
It felt like a full-time job outside of my paid job. I thought I was being a good Christian by helping. But what I failed to see at the time was that the people I was “helping” did not fully appreciate or value the work they were getting from me. Over the course of several years, I gave, gave and gave. But one day they decided they didn’t want to do it anymore and my years of investing my time, money and energy were all for naught. Well, at least that is what I thought.
God spoke in an unmistakable voice while I was listening to the story of Samson and Delilah.
What I should have done is pray for a discerning spirit so that I can know who I should be investing my time, talent and gifts into. It is not meant for everyone. God made that abundantly clear.
About the Author:
Amanda Barnes Granger is a devoted Christian, wife, mom, sister, and marketing manager. She is also the Executive Director of “Chasity’s Champions” a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization that provides aid to students through college scholarships in memory of her sister, Chasity D. Barnes.
August 18, 2019